When Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy S 5 earlier this year, it was generally praised as a solid smartphone and reports indicate it sold 5 million units in May. However, all things are relative and those initial sales lagged behind Apple iPhone sales and the pace that Samsung set with their Galaxy S 4. This appears to have contributed to some disappointing financial results and has left the company in the unusual position of needing a big hit with their next device to turn things around.

Industry watchers point to two factors that may have impacted the relative lack of success for the Galaxy S 5. First, the phone seemed to lack major innovations or changes that much of the market was hoping for like a metal chassis. Second, other competitors stepped up their game to compete and judging by reactions, both HTC and LG succeeded in those efforts.

To counteract these challenges, Samsung is reportedly looking to the forthcoming Galaxy Note 4 to help change the trajectory. New reports indicate Samsung once again has a metal chassis on the table for a flagship device. Supposedly the company is considering materials like stainless steel, aluminum and magnesium, although it is unclear whether these materials may be limited to a “prime” version of the device.

Sources also say Samsung is looking at implementing optical image stabilization for the camera. The camera itself will reportedly be a 16MP unit. Finally, Samsung is said to be working on adopting a flexible display, likely in some other manner than they did for the Galaxy Round. Reports indicate Samsung has increased capacity by 50% to meet the expected demand for a flexible display.

Some may notice that a couple of these “innovations” really just reflect features present in prime phones from other manufacturers.

Do you think these changes will be seen as truly innovative and help get Samsung back on track with smartphones?

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a chief financial officer and licensed CPA in Durham, North Carolina. Jeff has owned an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, and a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses an LG G3 and a Nexus 7 (2013). Recently Jeff added Google Glass to his stable of tech gadgets. Unfortunately, his wife and kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active in his church, a local MINI Cooper car club, and his daughter's soccer club. Jeff is married, has three kids, and a golden retriever.

Bruce

I think this is a healthy sign for Android overall, albeit of course not so good for Samsung. Over time lower expectations will be set for Samsung as well and that’s not a bad thing for Samsung either.

I had the Galaxy S3 and it was the best smartphone I had ever used. It was miles better than any other smartphone at the time. And that includes the iPhone. The S4 and S5 have been rather tame evolutionary updates. Meanwhile I switched from the S3 to the LG G2 which turned out to be a great phone. I have now upgraded to the G3. And I think it’s possibly the best smartphone in the market right now. Unlike Samsung, LG managed to bring out a better successor. If LG had the marketing dollars of Samsung, the G3 would be as big a hit as the S3 was. So Samsung should actually be thanking their stars that they are doing as well as they are doing now with an inferior device.

TheInfamous Stephenson

IMO LG G3 is a solid device, but the only standout spec/feature VS other flagship devices is the 2K display.

…Other than that it isn’t doing anything that competing devices aren’t doing, and if/when completing devices materialize with 2K displays what will be the standout spec/feature then?

Bruce

It’s not just the screen. It’s the size of the phone to the display. It’s the feel of the phone in the hand. The One M8 felt too thin in the hand. The Note 3 feels too big. If you are interested, check it out in a store. You have to actually hold it to realize it. They did all this with a removable back doesn’t feel or look cheesy. I have no idea why they are selling the 2GB model in Europe. It’s stupid. That’s where all the stories of lag are coming from. The US model is totally lag free. Which for the display is really impressive. Of course the US market doesn’t have wireless charging. I really can’t understand these decisions. The thing is that there is just about nothing to dislike in this phone. It’s got the best combination of hardware, customization and price.

Richard Yarrell

This article is very subjective at best. Samsung has sold a great deal of S5s far more than Htc sold of the M8 or LG did with the G2.

Samsung owns 70% market share of the entire android platform NO MANUFACTURER is even close they are all under 10% making NO MONEY.

As far as the Galaxy Note 4 yes that’s a day one purchase for me as always.

squiddy20

I don’t know what article you were reading, but pretty much all of this one is based in fact or truth. I remember this time last year, the same was being said of the Note 3 because of lower than expected S4 sales numbers. Sure HTC nor LG sold as many devices as Samsung, but that was pretty much stated in the article, which you clearly did not even bother to read.

john

If it does have 64 bit it will flop.

Philux

If Samsung wants to make big sales, they are going to have to do something revolutionary with the Note 4. Otherwise, why bother…. Its going to take more than the changes listed in the post.

As for me, the Note 3 will be the last Samsung device I will own. Now that they have allowed carriers to lock down the bootloader, its time to jump ship for me. If I buy a phone, I should be able to load whatever I want to on it, the same way I do my laptop.

fredphoesh

Make a waterproof phone that looks beautiful, remove touchwiz, i’ll be yours.